*note– These are the Infinity Gems as they are represented within the comics, not within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The way the stones look and function has since been updated by Marvel; keep reading for details.

In the third volume of the Silver Surfer title, the Surfer refers to the gems as “Soul Gems” for the first time. They are gathered by the Elders of the Universe, who intend to use their combined power to drain Galactus of his life force and then recreate the universe with themselves as the oldest beings in it (Galactus was the last survivor of the Universe that existed prior to the birth of the current Marvel Universe). This plot is thwarted by the Silver Surfer, and several Elders and the gems are lost in a black hole; Galactus consumes some of the other Elders.

The Soul “Jewel” is firmly planted in the forehead of Adam Warlock – The Power of Warlock #2 (August, 1972)

In a follow-up story, Galactus is poisoned by the Elders he consumed. Silver Surfer, Mr. Fantastic, and the Invisible Woman journey through the black hole to recover the gems. Invisible Woman becomes possessed by the sentient Soul Gem, awakening her evil Malice persona. She is later subdued, and the gems are used to remove the Elders from Galactus’ body. The Elders later reclaim the gems.

Each Gem is a small, smooth oval, and known by their respective powers. Each of the Gems represents a different characteristic of Existence and possessing any single Gem grants the possessor the ability to potentially command whatever aspect of Existence the Gem represents. The Gems are indestructible but not immutable. On two occasions one or more of the Gems have appeared in the form of deep pink spheres that were several feet in diameter.

The Mind, Reality, Power, Space, Time, Soul Gems housed in the Infinity Gauntlet.

On other occasions the gems have appeared in their normal shape but with different coloring (i.e. when the Soul Gem appeared to be red when worn by the Gardener). In the Ultraverse, the merged Gems, Nemesis, were once again separated after a climactic battle with Ultraforce and the Avengers. The Space, Power, Soul, and Mind gems morph into humanoid beings. The nature of these beings is not known, nor how these beings returned to their original forms.

Hulk has returned to Jarella’s world of K’ai to bury her body. Having found the world decimated since he last visited it he was taken to the Valley of Life to bury his love. There he was attacked by The Gardener who refuses to let any living humanoid set foot in his small paradise.

Bound in vines, the Hulk demands that the Gardener to let him free so he can bury Jarella. The Gardener refuses, and as the Hulk continues to struggle, the Elder of the Universe realizes that he cannot explain himself to the Hulk in this state of mind. Using his Soul Gem, the Gardener awakens the mind of Bruce Banner….

Although they are all referred to as Soul Gems here, these are actually the Infinity Gems which are not called by that name until Silver Surfer Vol 3 #44. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 clarifies that the Infinity Gem that the Gardner had in his possession on the moon was actually the Time Gem. It also confirms that the Gem used by Adam Warlock was specifically the Soul Gem.

He explains how he, like the other Elders of the Universe, have one single obsession to govern the eons-long lifetimes, with his being Gardening. He tells how he obtained a Soul Gem and used it recently to create a lush garden on Earth’s Moon. When the Stranger came to his paradise, the Gardener got assistance in dispelling the invader with the aid of Spider-Man and Adam Warlock. Warlock and the Gardener combined the power of their Soul Gem’s in order to repel the Stranger.

With the tale finished, Banner asks the Gardener to at least allow him to give the woman he loves a decent burial. The Gardener refuses and carries Jarella’s body away, assuring Banner that she will be buried. Having yet another thing taken away from him causes Banner to burst into tears. His sorrow is so great his body reverts back to human form, allowing him to get free of the vines he is caught in. However, Banner refuses to give in and vows to find Jarella and bury her himself, even without the power of the Hulk.

Jarella’s followers wait outside of the Valley of Life fearing that their would-be king had been killed there. Suddenly, a stampede of animals come rushing out of the forest and begin attacking them. While inside the lush region, Banner stops by a stream to get a drink of water when he is suddenly attacked by the very thing he tried to drink. As he is being pulled into the liquid, Banner’s pulse races enough to trigger another transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk fights his way free and then leaps across the Valley in order to intercept the Gardener and his animal followers. The Gardener orders the animals to attack the Hulk, but they are no match for him. Seeing signs of the battle, the people of K’ai are reinvigorated and start fighting back against their attackers. Meanwhile, with no more animals to set upon the Hulk, the Gardener tries to fight the brute one-on-one.

The two struggle and the Gardner begins to wonder how powerful the Hulk really is. As they fight, the Soul Gem levitates off the Gardener’s brow and the Hulk knocks the Gardner aside and plucks it out of the air. Hulk comes to the conclusion that if the Soul Gem could create the Valley of Life it could also restore Jarella’s entire world. With that, the Hulk throws the Soul Gem into the ground and it burrows its way directly into the planet’s core.

As the planet begins springing to life, the animals quit fighting. The people of K’ai soon join the Hulk as he buries Jarella in the Valley of Life. When her grave marker is constructed they are all surprised by a flower that suddenly pops out of the rocks. This is the work of the Gardener who has realized how selfish he was being and asks the Hulk if he can stay. The Hulk tells the Gardener as long as he remains peaceful, he may remain on K’ai. With his lover finally buried, the Hulk tells the Gardener to send him back home. With a wave of his wand, the Gardner causes the Hulk to resume his normal size, leaving the people of K’ai leaderless but with a bright future ahead of them.

Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.

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One of my favorite comics from the early 90’s was (and still is) The Savage Dragon. TSD was born from Erik Larsen,one of the most prolific artists of the time at Marvel Comics. Erik, along with Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefield, Jim Lee and a host of others jumped ship from Marvel where they felt like they were being creatively stifled and created Image Comics.

There, their creations would be their own and each persons destiny would be in his own hands. The studio went on to produce some classic (and not so classic) titles like: Spawn, Youngblood, The Maxx, Wild C.A.T.S., Trencher, Nighthawk and Cyberforce.

The Dragon from Savage Dragon is a large, green humanoid with a 10 inch fin protruding from his head. He has super strength and an enhanced healing factor (on par with Wolverines). He is a master of several forms of hand to hand combat and is highly proficient with several small arms including, but not limited to, police/military issue weapons and night sticks, assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, rocket/grenade launchers, military grade explosives, knives/bladed weapons, baseball bats, clubs and various other improvised devices.

Dragon is an amnesiac. His first memory is waking up in a burning field with no memory of his name or how he got there. Yet when questioned, he was able to answer several current event and pop culture related questions. He also retained his combat prowess and demonstrated it by firing off six shots from a police revolver and each bullet striking the exact same spot on the paper target leaving only one hole.

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The Avengers: Infinity War takes place two years after the Avengers were torn apart during the events of Captain America: Civil War, Thanos arrives on Earth to collect the Infinity Stones for a gauntlet that will allow him to bend reality to his will. The Avengers must join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him before his onslaught of destruction puts an end to the universe.

Avengers: Infinity War is scheduled to have its world premiere on April 23, 2018 in Los Angeles, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 27, 2018, in IMAX and 3D. The sequel is set to be released on May 3, 2019.

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This was an interesting issue. It makes the end of Todd McFarlane’s run on Spider-Man. He transitioned from The Amazing Spider-Man to this comic which was simply named… Spider-Man. Todd was given something that is almost unheard of in Marvel Comics these days; creative free reign over the story, art and inks to create his ongoing series of Spidey adventures. The result, in my opinion was a pretty good run of Spider-Man stories.

This “sideways” issue shows Spider-Man teaming up with X-Force against The Juggernaut who is rampaging through downtown NYC.

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Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

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After clearing his name, Luke Cage has become a celebrity on the streets of Harlem with a reputation as bulletproof as his skin. But being so visible has only increased his need to protect the community and find the limits of who he can and can’t save. With the rise of a formidable new foe, Luke is forced to confront the fine line that separates a hero from a villain.

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Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

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Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

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Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

Like this:

Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

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Captain Universe is endowed with the Uni-Power, a sentient energy field that seeks out people in great peril and bonds with them. In another sense, it is every person–it is the potential for heroism that lives in each of us.

When the Uni-Power chooses a partner, it endows that person (or, rarely, persons) with the powers, memories, and costume of Captain Universe. The partner can use the powers of Captain Universe until the peril is surmounted. However, if the partner tries to use those powers for personal gain or for evil, the Uni-Power immediately deserts them.

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Amadeus Cho is in self exile in deep space wen he gets a distress call from Sakaar. When his ship lands on the planet surface, he is captured and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena by the evil despot known as The Warlord of Sakaar.

In the climactic battle between the two, the warlord unleashes his version of a worldbreaker, a Cold War era tactical nuke (how he got it is not explained) and drops right on top of the jade giants pointy coif.

We know that the Hulk can absorb nuclear energy, but so far the upper limits have not really been shown yet. My hypothesis is that the angrier he is the more he can absorb and you can see here, he was pretty angry…

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In Infinity Countdown #1 (2018) it looks like Marvel has changed the colors of the Infinity Stones to match their MCU counter parts and tweaked how they work. The stones (formerly called Gems) form a circuit when combined with each other forming a positive feedback loop unlocking their full potential and releasing the INFINITE power stored inside. The gems true potential lie within the users mastery of them individually.

The stones have always been mysterious and a subject of debate and discussion for years so it’s fun to see them fleshed out a bit more. I prefer the still have a twinge of mystery, but that’s just me.

Here are the new owners and new descriptions of the stones:

• The Soul Stone is powered by the user’s mastery of Reality. It can preserve the soul to allow for life after death.

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The Red Skull has infiltrated the US Government and released a biological weapon in the form of a red mist at the base of Mount Rushmore. As the mist encroaches into nearby populated areas it kills everyone in its path and it’s up to the Avengers to stop him!

It’s a fairly basic story, bad guy intent on mass murder and the good guys have to stop him. It’s a good read with the highlight of Black Panther laying some serious smack down by brutally beating down the Skull and viciously breaking his jaw.

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Black Panther is not your ordinary Marvel Comics film. It has begun a cultural movement all its own. As a black man, I can’t remember the last time a movie with a black director and a predominately all black cast has made such a splash in the mainstream cultural consciousness in such a positive way. It’s so amazing to see all these young black kids (and adults) coming out and supporting this movie, its cast and director Ryan Coogler. It’s an astonishing and humbling site to see.

To get tickets to the Black Panther showings sponsored by @octaviaspencer Saturday come to the theater. They are first come first serve and they will open their doors at 10:30 am. There are 3 showings. pic.twitter.com/YirypqCcDP

Is it a good movie though? I’m not going to let my blackness get in the way of looking at this film with a critical eye…. but the answer is yes. So lets talk about it.

The general plot of the movie is that Wakanda is an isolationist nation that has never been conquered or colonized by an outsider. This due to the mountain sized vibranium deposit that was left when a meteor crashed in Africa millions of years ago. The vibranium powers all of their technology. Everything from medicine and transportation to the weapons of war and self defense. As a nation that is entirely self sufficient, they are also loathe to lend aid to others. A similar analogy would be like feeding the birds at the park. It starts with just one, but before you know it, you have a whole flock at your feet.

This movie takes place after the events of Captain America 3: Civil War where King T’Chaka was killed by an explosion leaving young T’Challa in charge of a nation. Wakanda and its new king T’Challa, played exceptionally by Chadwick Boseman, want to protect their isolationist way of life from Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan.

Killmonger feels like Wakanda is hoarding its technology and wants to use Wakandan advanced weapons and technology to wage war on the rest of the world. Particularly those who he feels are currently oppressing peoples of color be it local police on up to governments.

The movie is beautifully shot with epic sweeping cinematography. Wakanda is fleshed out with vibrant bustling streets, techno-organic skyscrapers, kids rushing off to school, young people jubilantly carousing about in cafes, waiting for sky car taxis, cooking street food and generally going about their business. It’s definitely the most life like city in all of the Marvel Universe.

And the costumes. Oh my god, the costumes. Ruth E. Carter, costume designer completely nails the afro-futurism look by blending the history and traditions of tribes from all over Africa. With 30 years of movie experience and two Oscar nominations for her work (on Malcolm X and Amistad), Carter understood the role clothing would play in shaping the film’s world. “Wakandans are serious about fashion,” Carter via said The Atlantic, of the inhabitants of Black Panther’s tech-forward, eco-conscious, never-before-colonized country. Her vision for Wakandan dress draws from traditional and contemporary African fashion. Sartorial cues help viewers understand the social geography of a fictional place—its political ideologies, cultural norms, etiquette. It’s easier to convey these unspoken elements when a film is set in a space and time the audience already has some reference for. For example, American viewers can read the message of a certain dress or hairstyle in, say, 1960s Alabama, which worked in Carter’s favor when she was designing the costumes for Selma.

The impressive score is crafted by Ludwig Goransson. The score is as textured and layered like the costumes as it blends and layers traditional African drums and vocalizations with a sweeping grandiosity usually reserved for epic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Out of Africa and dare I say it, Star Wars.

The cast rounds out the movie with powerhouse performances. Chadwick Boseman is a bit understated bringing a quiet maturity and presence to each scene, however I felt that the movie would have benefited from a bit more range from him.

The runaway star of the show, the scene-stealer is far and away is Shuri, the younger sister of T’Challa and played by Letitia Wright. She’s insanely smart, developing most if not all of the “Panther-tech”, plucky, irreverent and best of all: absolutely fearless. If you are a fan and reader of the Black Panther comics, you already know that at some point Shuri dons the mantle of the Black Panther and becomes the protector of Wakanda. I’m hoping this is something we will seen in the inevitable sequel as word has it, Kevin Feige has already asked Ryan Coogler to return.

This film does have some issues however. So lets talk about those too.

First off, the fight choreography isn’t my favorite. While Danai Gurira shines bright in her scenes as General Okoye, leader of the all female Dora Milaje, the same can’t really be said for most of the scenes involving hand to hand combat. The shots are cut quickly and the camera is way too close to see any meaningful movements. It’s tends to be a jumble of arms, legs and other flailing limbs. Aside from this action scenes (the car chase aside) end a few short minutes after they begin.

The CGI (especially during the final fight between Killmonger and T’Challa) is just plain bad. It looks unfinished is really the only way to describe it and seeing how well everything else is in the movie it’s really unfortunate and distracting.

This shouldn’t deter you from seeing the movie however. Not in the slightest. It’s a cultural milestone and I am anxiously looking forward to revisiting T’Challa, Shuri, Okoye and Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther 2.

I gotta admit, I’m not a fan of a solo Venom movie without Spider-Man. I just don’t see the point. There’s a reason why Venom works as a villain. He’s (at least at first) the antithesis of Spider-Man, the dark version, the other side of the coin. The appeal of Venom is his juxtaposition against Spider-Man and the deep rooted psychological rivalry between Eddie Brock and Peter Parker.

In my opinion, on his own, Venom just isn’t that interesting unless he’s facing off against Spider-Man or it’s the Venom: Space Knight iteration or Venom: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But this movie doesn’t seem to be going in that direction at all. As a matter of fact, I can’t really tell what direction this movie is going because the trailer doesn’t really show anything. There’s lots of cars flying around, some explosions, the back of Tom Hardy’s head, Tom Hardy running in the woods and a microsecond shot of what appears to be the symbiote trapped in a glass container.

It just boggles my mind in this age of The Avengers, Deadpool, Justice League, Steppenwolf, et cetera, they would deliberately go out of their way to NOT show the character the movie is named after.

That’s not the way to hype your movie Sony.

Future trailers desperately need a tease or a reveal of the symbiote and some meaningful action scenes or it will be DOA. See the trailer below and let me know what you think.

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Amadeus Cho is in self exile in deep space wen he gets a distress call from Sakaar. When his ship lands on the planet surface, he is captured and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena by the evil despot known as The Warlord of Sakaar. In one of his arena battles, Hulk is pitched against The Odinson himself… THE MIGHTY THOR.

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According to Syfy, Krypton “will follow Superman’s grandfather – whose House of El was ostracized and shamed – as he fights to redeem his family’s honor and save his beloved world from chaos.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice co-writer David S. Goyer will executive produce Krypton under his Phantom Four banner. Goyer also wrote the pilot alongside Ian Goldberg, who previously worked as a producer on Once Upon a Time and a writer on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Krypton will take place 200 years before the opening of Man of Steel. He went on to say while “it won’t be wall-to-wall visual effects every single moment” like Man of Steel, the show will “be digging into the characters and culture a lot more.

Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El: Superman’s grandfather and Jor-El’s father; athletic, quietly confident, and in his 20s. A younger version of the “grumpier” character from the comics.

Georgina Campbell as Lyta Zod: A reluctant cadet and warrior in the Kryptonian military, in a clandestine, forbidden relationship with Seg-El.

Ian McElhinney as Val-El: Seg’s grandfather, who defied death by going to the Phantom Zone and is a staunch believer in space exploration.[2][5]

I feel like these outfits were for anyone that tries to deny how African #BlackPanther is set to be. As in this movie is clearly going to be unapologetically black and you expect me not be excited? Please pic.twitter.com/2fyH2BnN9G

Believe the hype. Believe the buzz. Believe the words “cultural phenomenon.” #blackpanther is about to blow minds and take names. My God. Where to even begin. Long live the King. pic.twitter.com/cECg2mxnKw

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The best way would be to watch them in order of their release date. The films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have released in three phases. Which order did you watch the movies in?

Phase 1: Avengers Assembled

The Avengers Initiative (a.k.a Phase 1) was a secret project created by S.H.I.E.L.D. to create the Avengers, a collection of the most able individuals to defend Earth from imminent global threats; these individuals functioning as a response team to said threats which are too great for the forces of mankind to handle.

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With the Godblast, Thor is capable of channeling different amounts of his godly energies in combination with the mystical properties of Mjolnir can be channeled through his hammer for a single massive blast. The God Blast is so immensely powerful and destructive that it has proven capable of destroying beings as large and as powerful as the being Galactus, who was forced to flee for his life.

Thor is capable of producing an indescribably powerful blast known as the Anti-Force which is capable of annihilating entire planets. This blast is so powerful that with just a single emission, Thor was capable of putting down and seemingly killing Mangog himself.